Stories Untold
by Mystiquex
Summary: It had all come down to us; the three people that made up my family...Pulling them close to me, I took a deep, shaky breath and looked up to the sky. “Why?” I asked silently...“Out of everyone else in the world, why did this happen to me?”-Edmund Pevensie
1. Prologue

**_[A/N] - Hello! :) I don't know if any of you will remember, but I used to go by the pen name DefiningMomentx. After a very hard summer, I stopped writing, but the new year is bringing back old passions. I'm thinking I might have posted a different version of this before, so if this seems familiar, I promise I'm not stealing anyone's idea. It's completely and totally original. Reviews, good and bad, are very much appreciated, so if you read, PLEASE review. _**

**Prologue**

_It had been hard on all of them, coming back from the land they'd grown to love so much. Peter missed the freedom and power coming with his kingship; Susan longed for the gentle rolling hills, soft sand that caressed the beach, and glorious sunrise that met her every morning; Lucy yearned for the dear friends she'd left behind. Edmund…well, no one was quite sure of what he missed, maybe all of these things, maybe something entirely different, but there was no doubt that he missed it terribly._

_The first month, no one thought much of anything else. They were all hurt, confused, wondering why Aslan had sent them back to the world they didn't belong in. But, over time, they began to adjust. They lost their royal speech, forgot about the wonderful food they used to have every night, and stopped touching their heads in search of a crown and their belt searching for a sword. Life seemed to go on for the Pevensies…at least, for three of them._


	2. Discovery

_**[A/N] - So, here's the first real chapter, and as you can tell, its completely AU. I can't wait to get further into the story because I love the idea so much, and I hope you will too. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review; it helps the writing process. This chapter definitely isn't my best writing, and as annoyed as I am to post it, I don't know what else to do with it. So, I apologize for the sloppiness.**_

_The doctors couldn't explain it._

_Pacing back and forth, going from one side of his bed to the other, probing him here and there, an answer still didn't formulate. His vitals showed nothing out of place: his pulse pounded through him in an even, strong pattern, his breathing was deep and uninterrupted, and although he had barely eaten in the past week, that wasn't the problem at hand. No, the problem for the Pevensies was why their baby brother, once so bright and full of live, was slowly fading before them. Day by day doctors came, and day by day doctors left, shrugging their shoulders and peering at the boy curiously. Nothing fit; inside, he was as healthy as a fourteen year old should be. Outside, his fourteen years were being sucked out of him, threatening not to make it to fifteen._

_Finally, after a week of more questions and no answers, Lucy looked up and the elder man staring at her brother with frustration. Her voice quavered, barely forming her words, but the doctor understood perfectly._

_"Honestly, it seems to be the path he's taking," he murmured gravely. "I don't know why, but this boy is dying."_

_A month later, true to word, Edmund Pevensie left his siblings and his world. It was May seventh, 1945, the day before Germany surrendered and World War II finally ended. He would be safe to go home, he would be reunited with his father, if only he had lived another day._

Peter Pevensie, the blonde haired, blue eyed High King of Narnia, had never been so afraid in his life; battling against the White Witch, taking on Miraz's army, it all seemed like floating through a dream compared to this. Once upon a time, this home had been the only place he felt safe. Looking up at the large stone mansion now, his knees almost buckled as the anguish hit. Blinking the tears back from his crystal eyes, he forced foot after foot to head through the winding pathway of Professor Kirke's country home. He knew it had to be done.

Though it had been months since his brother's death, the wounds would never heal; Peter knew that better than anyone. Guilt followed him wherever he went, invaded every waking thought, haunted every slumber. He had never been a big brother to Edmund, or at least, not as long as he'd wanted to be. So much time that he'd wasted yelling at him... Was it his fault that Edmund had given up on life? Peter could only guess now.

"Here you are," the professor said softly, laying a box in Peter's lap and pushing out the dark thoughts that loomed like a storm cloud, waiting to let the rain fall in a torrent. Fighting the lump forming in his throat, he glanced up and whispered a thanks before gazing down at Edmund's possessions. It almost felt like a crime to touch them, but he couldn't help having to run his hand over the shirts he'd seen Ed wear so many times or cradling the comb that still had strands of black stuck in it. Gripping the comb tightly, he could feel his hand trembling as the bristles cut into his skin, making up for the pain inside him.

One item, though, was strikingly unfamiliar to him and stopped his eyes in their tracks. It was a journal, bound in leather, with no lock to keep him on the other side of its cover. Why had he never seen this? Opening the book slowly, he saw the first dated entry and gasped - it was dated April second, 1945. "The day we returned," Peter whispered in awe. With that he knew. This book, written by Edmund himself, held all the secrets that ended his life.


	3. The Beginning

**A/N- To my few reviewers, thank you so very much! Hopefully this chapter will bring even more. Sorry to center so much around Peter; I find him the easiest character to write for, besides Edmund of course, but there's not much I can do with a dead person at the moment. I really hope you all like this idea, and if you do (or don't) let me know in a nice little review :)**

"No, Peter, we can't," Susan Pevensie insisted, laying her gentle hand upon the coarse binding. Meeting her brother's eyes with a glare, she proceeded to pry his fingers off the book. "It's not our place."

"Not our place?" Peter replied incredulously, his voice rising with every word. "Susan, this could explain it all! Don't you want to know why…" he faltered in his words, still unable to say those dreaded, final words, _why he died. _"Don't you want closure?"

Susan sighed, looking away. _Be a big girl, _she reminded herself as she blinked back her tears. "If he wanted us to see this, he would have shown it to us. It's not our place." Her voice cracked on the last word and the sixteen year old turned on her heel, slamming the door behind her as she left her brother alone in the room he'd once shared with the bright-eyed, dark haired boy. His crystal eyes could barely stand to glance over the empty bed across the room, but where else could his searching eyes land? Running his hand over the book, slipping his finger under its cover, the boy-king was torn with indecision. To read or not to read? Was it his place? With a huff he tossed it onto his pillow and followed his sister's footsteps.

God, this is unbearable. _The words ran through his mind again and again, unable to form any other thought. Everything was pushed to the back of his mind except for this; maybe if he just concentrated on the words, he'd forget everything else. He'd forget about the body lying in the coffin before him. He'd forget about the haunting smile on his dead brother's face. He'd forget about the smiles he wanted to see, the ones accompanied by a beating heart and steady flow of air through his lungs. _

_No, he wouldn't. He'd never forget the sound of Edmund's laughter, the most magical sound he'd ever heard. Maybe he cherished it for its rarity, or maybe for its unique, unfeigned melody. Maybe he loved how infectious it was, or how calming it was. He'd never forget the wise tone in Edmund's voice as he transformed into King Edmund the Just, brave and chivalrous. He'd never forget the carefree face of his brother, flushed with excitement as they raced their horses down the beach of Narnia, throwing his head back into the sunlight to give a victory yell. Opening his eyes, Peter's memories were shattered by the pale, lifeless form of Edmund before him. No, this wasn't Edmund. This was some stranger pretending to be Edmund. It just couldn't be his brother. _

_All around him people were standing, some with somber expressions, some with tears in their eyes, and Peter realized through the haze that maybe he should stand too. Glancing into the faces surrounding him, pressing into him, anger bubbled in his chest; their tears could never amount to the pain in him. Their condolences and whispered appreciated of Edmund Pevensie would never be enough to soothe him. As mourner after mourner came to shake his hand, the blind fury mounted. What was a handshake supposed to do for him? Make it all better? Nothing could make this better, nothing would ever make this better. He knew if he heard one more whispered apology, he would lose it._

With a start, Peter awoke. Sweat drenched his brow, pouring from his cornsilk hair and trailing down his spine. Every nerve in his body tingled, begging the dream to be over; as his eyes adjusted to the dark around him, he realized all over again that this dream would never be over. Or would it? He knew he could never treat the wound, but would a little balm help? As this thought formed, his eyes found the journal once more. He couldn't spend the rest of his life wondering; why should he? If Edmund didn't want anyone to know, he wouldn't have written it down, Peter assured himself. Turning on the bedside lamp, his quivering hands lifted the book from the floor and set it in his lap. Reminding himself repeatedly of his argument against Susan's feelings, he took a deep breath before pulling back the cover of the mystery he had to solve.


	4. Secrets

**A/N - I'm so happy with all the hits and the couple of reviews from the last chapter, and I'm even happier that you all are enjoying this! Now, this chapter will give you a little idea of Edmund's secret; think you can figure it out? Send me a review and let me know what you're thinking so far!**

_April 2, 1945_

_This is the beginning of my end. I can feel it in my heart, in my bones, in the very hair on my body. This air that I breathe, these hands that I see, they are all wrong. I can only hope that this will be righted one day, for living a life in this world is like living without a heart; impossible._

_But I cannot focus on that now. I must escape this torturous hell and find again the peace of before. That peace is so far away that it seems unreachable, but close enough to find with every blink of my eyes. There she is, with her soft rolling hills and gentle waves of a perfect blue. There she is, with her castle's turrets piercing the endless, clear skies. There she is, home at last. _

_There is more than that, though, things I could never tell to a soul knowing of this world. Peter, Susan, Lucy…I don't know that they'd forgive me for the terrible crime I'd committed. Even said, I do not and never could regret what I'd done, and with it being the greatest crime ever committed, a crime of the heart and soul, a crime of the loving and passionate, I cannot let it go unnoticed. This book, though intended for no eyes but my own, will keep alive the secrets of my heart when my mind cannot. This book will tell the grandest story ever written, much less lived, and the saddest ending ever known; the old Greek poets have nothing compared to this tragedy. _

_Now, you see, this is a love story…_

His head reeled as he jumped up, sprinting for the bathroom. Everything was spinning and he needed a grip on something, anything to keep his world in place. Throwing open the bathroom door, he fell to his knees, barely managing to hit the sink as the vomit spewed forth. This was all too real, too vivid, too…too much like Edmund. He couldn't just shrug this off, pretending the words weren't his brothers, pretending none of it had ever happened. The handwriting was too familiar, the words too regal to be anyone _but_ Edmund's.

It took him the most part of half an hour to calm himself, keeping his hand clamped over his mouth in case any sobs straggled behind, praying that he remained undiscovered. He didn't know if he could handle explaining this to anyone just yet, since he was barely handling knowing himself. _Maybe Susan was right, _the fleeting thought came, but he angrily dismissed it instantly. _No_, _I need this. _

His heart felt mangled, ripped, and thrown piece by piece into a rubbish bin. How could he have made his brother feel like that? How could he force him to keep such a secret inside, a secret that possibly killed him? Maybe if Peter'd known, maybe if he'd been a brother Edmund could confide in, maybe he'd still be here. Peter would always forgive him; how couldn't Edmund know that? Nothing would mark Edmund was unforgivable! Not even escaping to the White Witch and betraying them would break Peter's love for his brother. Biting back another yell of despair, Peter laid his head against the cool tile floor. It was more than enough for one night.


	5. Storms and Sunny Days

**A/N: I'm so sorry about the lack of updates! I don't really have an excuse...but at least I have an update, right? To those who reviewed, THANK YOU! You're what's keeping me going. This is one of those in-between chapters while I figure out where I'm going with this..so I hope you enjoy it!**

"Pete?"

Her voice was almost as small as her body, barely reaching the ears of the eighteen year old. They seemed to come through a fog, formulated miles and miles away, across oceans and lands, stars and planets. As they wedged themselves in his mind, Peter found a hand on his shoulder. Looking into the brown eyes of Lucy, so very like Edmund's, the world came back to him.

She didn't even have to ask; that was Peter's favorite thing about his youngest sister. She knew, with just a simple look, the chambers of Peter's heart, the confines of his mind. With one exception, that is. Could he tell her? Could he really throw his sister into the torrential storm of emotions that he'd unleashed upon himself? Not yet, he decided. Not yet.

Sitting there in that bathroom, Lucy's frail arms wrapped around his shoulders, the answer came to him. That one page, that one revelation was only the beginning of the story Edmund had left behind, and probably the least of the pain Peter would feel. Something pulled at him, nudging his legs to move, his arms to pull him up from the tile floor and guide him back to his dark, lonely room, where in the floor, lying open for him, was the last bit of Edmund Pevensie. He had to read it and read it now; he had to stand in the storm, look up at the crazy maze of lightning streaking the sky, and accept it. Maybe then, he'd see the sun again.

_Where should I begin?_

_How about, the most glorious day of my life? Six years ago, when I was nineteen years old, my life changed forever._

Thinking back to that year, Peter couldn't find anything significant about it. It was a relatively peaceful year, with the exception of Caloremen, though that was nothing new. There had been a ball, he thought, near Christmas time. Lucy and Susan might have had a bit of a falling out. What could have impacted Edmund so?

_My first memory of that fateful day proved to be the source of the biggest irony I'd ever known. As Peter and I sat down for our breakfast in the dining hall, Peter's face donned the smile I knew to say "time for a brother-brother discussion." As he cleared his throat, I settled in and tried to act attentive._

_"Ed, I have a question for you."_

_"Yes, Pete?"_

_"Why aren't you courting anyone? I mean, you're of age, you're handsome, you're intelligent, and you're the King of Narnia, for Aslan's sake!"_

_I sighed, resisting the urge to rub my temples, my tell-tell sign of exasperation. It had been months since Peter had last hinted at his wish for me to pursue a wife, and I'd hoped the issue would've been dropped. I should've known, though; this was my brother._

Peter vaguely recollected that morning. It was true that he'd always been curious about Edmund's lack of interest girls. Peter, on the other hand, had been the social butterfly of Narnia: he shamelessly flirted with any pretty girl to pass by him, danced with plenty of girls at the balls and galas, and had his fair share of romantic flings. Then, amidst all the flurry and batted eyelashes, he'd see Edmund alone, but could never for the life of him understand why.

_I fed him some excuse about being too busy, too caught up in Narnia's political affairs to even think about that foreign four-letter word…love. Truth was, I'd never felt that spark, that drive, that feeling I knew I'd have when my eyes landed on the right girl. I didn't want idle talk about make-up and dresses, mixed with half-hearted murmurs of affection. I didn't want just anyone. I didn't want to settle._

_Little did I know that in just moments, the last nineteen years of my existence would be erased, irrelevant to every moment after the second my eyes met hers. Who knew the world could be so light, so warm, so radiant, so clear? The storm had finally let up, and for the first time in my life, I saw the sun._


	6. Surprises

****

[A/N] Ok, no excuses. I'm so sorry I waited 6 months to update this!! I hope you all can forgive me and I really hope you all can enjoy this chapter and get excited about what is to come! Like always, leave me a bunch of reviews telling me how you like where it's going and what you think should happen and how you like my writing style and all of that! By the way, this chapter will be incredibly short. You'll see why I had to stop it where I did when you finish it. You'll have to wait for Peter's reaction and what will become of this new character! But I'm sorry its so short and I'm sorry it took so long, so I'll stop rambling now so you can get to reading! -Mystiquex

_My body tensed by nature, every muscle straining against my skin as my eyes alighted on the bold gold­-on-black crest emblazoned on the Caloremen's chest. Never had I seen the eagle, haughtily gnawing on the olive branch of peace, so close; only across a bloody, unforgiving battlefield had I seen this uniform before. Still, I cursed myself for my prejudice. Was I not the Just? After all, he was alone, a slight boy looking no older than myself and nowhere near a threat to my safety. The gold on his chest shone brilliantly in the morning sun against the endless black he was clad in, topped with a black visor that was barely raised. All I could see of the boy was his lips, pink and trembling, as he sunk into a clumsy bow. _

_"Visitor, please remove your helmet, or at the very least, raise your visor. I like looking my fellows in the eye as we speak."_

_I couldn't understand why he seemed so hesitant, so timid. If he was brazen enough to display the crest of Caloremen before a Narnian King, what possible inhibitions could he have toward showing his face? After a moment of apparent deliberation, where his gloved hands couldn't decide on doing as I asked or staying stubbornly at his side, the visor slowly slid up. My chocolate eyes were no doubt hard and firm as they prepared to meet his, but something in their caramel color, in their almond shape, in their soft, tender gaze, made me stop dead in my tracks, unable to form a single word. Those eyes stirred something in my soul, like a fire kindling for the first time after a long, harsh summer. _

_"K-King Edmund," he stuttered, lowering his eyes quickly and sweeping into another bow, which wasn't much better than the first. I could feel my eyebrows shoot up my forehead as he spoke; that voice was the softest, kindest, most beautiful voice I'd ever heard..._

_As he bowed, the black helmet fell to the floor with a loud clatter than echoed in the broken silence, and I felt the life rush into me, as if I'd breathed a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. Every wall sent the sound back to my ears, coupled with a gasp that could only come from the being in front of me. A wave of crimson an a flash of pink were left in the wake of the echoes, and before me stood the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in all my life._


	7. Moment of Truth

****

[A/N] : So, here it is, chapter 7! Like always, please read and most importantly, REVIEW!!!! Reviews are what keep me going! There's so much in store for this story, so many twists and turns to go, so if you want more, keep those reviews coming! Hope you like it :)

"_Please, please Your Highness, don't kill me. I-I just…"_

_My heart twisted, squeezed, and wrenched itself inside out at the sound of her despair, her absolute misery. I wanted nothing more than to help her, comfort her, wrap my arms around her and never let anything else hurt her. What could cause such a beautiful creature such pain? Or, more pressingly, why would anything do something so horrible? Her eyes sparkled with tears on the threshold, threatening to cascade over her ivory cheeks. Her hands shook with – what was it, fear? Rage? Reaching out my hand, it almost found her shoulder until sense began to take hold of me. It wouldn't be the first time that a woman had taken such control over me; I thought back to Peter's question this morning and the answer I'd left unspoken. The White Witch had taught me to always have my guard up, never to let anyone take advantage of me again. But surely, this broken, beautiful girl wasn't here to deceive me…But, she _was _from Caloremen…_

"_What is it, fair lady?" I asked, fighting to control myself. My hand still twitched at my side, my eyes barely able to conceal the grief her pain caused me. _Stay strong, Edmund, _I reminded myself._

"_This war," she whispered, hardly daring to glance up at me __as she kneeled on the ground, head in her hands_. "You don't understand…I had to come!" Suddenly the caramel melted, leaving in its place a fiery, burning river of lava. "They would have died if I hadn't come. They can't die, they just can't…please don't let them…"

_Staring at her, my mind couldn't comprehend her passionate, desperate words. Who was going to die? Why? And how exactly was I involved in this girl's dilemma? Crouching down so my eyes could meet hers easily, I took a deep breath to steady myself before addressing her once more. "Calm down, love, and explain to me what exactly is going on. I promise, I'll do anything I can to help you." The words surprised me; my mind had barely processed them and suddenly they were rushing forth, spilling what my heart was screaming but my mind was heavily guarding. _

_Finally her eyes pierced mine, deeply, seeming to search my soul, and I felt the breath rush out of me like I'd been punched in the stomach. How could one girl, much less one that I didn't even know and had only seen for a matter of minutes, affect me so? "I only have a father and brother, King Edmund," she began, her voice strong and simmering with emotion. Her bravery had finally found her, for the way she spoke my name almost mocked my title. Ignoring the slight, I composed my features into a calm, unaffected gaze as she continued. "My mother died in childbirth and they're all I have. This war our armies are preparing for will take them both away from me, and probably for good. My father is an old man, much too old to be fighting your men, and my brother is but a boy. 10! How can he possibly survive?" _

_My mind flew back in time, leaving behind the image of the girl and the room and the crown atop my head. In its place I saw a boy of eleven, standing atop a cliff watching his blonde-haired brother ride off to fight a battle that would more than likely take his life. The boy watched in agonizing fear until he could no longer take it, and finally joined his older brother, sword cutting through the air with a ferocity he wasn't even aware he could feel. __Peter wouldn't go it alone this time. No, Edmund was going to fight too, just like his older brother. They were in this together. Fear gripped the boy's heart, sending it writhing uncontrollably, a fear unlike any other he had ever felt. _Please, Aslan, just let us all come out alright, _he found himself praying. _Please.

_"I come for one simple reason; to find a way to bring peace between Caloremen and Narnia so my family will live. Selfish though it may be, surely you can understand, Just king..."_

_I _could _understand, all too well._


	8. Moonlight

**[A/N] - First of all, thank you BUNCHES to my reviews, who make me smile every day! I love you guys :D I know last chapter wasn't the best, but this chapter is a bit longer, and I'm pretty happy about it and hope you will be too. Now, don't assume you know what will happen from here...I have plenty of twists and turns in store. This is only the beginning! Please, please, PLEASE don't stop reviewing; they keep me writing! -Mystiquex**

_The veil of darkness enveloped me like a blanket, velvety black and soothing me to the core. Shadows spread across the stone floor, dancing and creeping across the beam of moonlight splitting my room, leaving one lone lane of magical, sparkling light. It was a silent night; no crickets sang in the night, no wind breathed life into the leaves of the trees, no creature crept through the halls of Cair Paravel. Sleep should have come easily, beckoning me into its open arms like a mother waiting for her infant child, but I eluded her, crawling instead toward the dim consciousness that I could not escape from. In my head, I wondered if my thoughts would ever end. Questions plagued me, tumbling one over the other, trying to receive the honor of being answered first. Each were disappointed, as no answers ever appeared for them. _

_Why had she chosen me to speak to? Why not Peter, or even Susan or Lucy? My title, perhaps, seemed to entice her as I was sure to live up to it…but why couldn't she speak to her own king? My nose scrunched as a even thought of the man. Of course she couldn't speak to Marak, (I refused to give him the courtesy of the title 'King'; tyrant was much more befitting) with his cruel laugh and cold eyes. But, I pressed myself, was there anything I could do for her?_

_Laying idly in bed now seemed completely impossible. Too heavy, too persistent, too quick were my thoughts so that I had no choice but to occupy myself. Pacing my room, I tried to concentrate on something else, anything else, but my eyes were constantly flooded with the image of her gentle eyes that could light up in seconds, her hair that glistened like a newborn flame of crimson, her lush, pale, freckled cheeks…my feet led me in directions of their will as my preoccupied mind drifted over her again and again, longing for another blessed moment to look upon that face once more…_

_I couldn't tell you why my legs carried me into the garden that night. Honestly, looking back, I know that never was there a conscious thought of arriving there. When I finally shook the thought of the Caloremen girl from my mind, I was just standing there, in the moonlight, among the vines and trees and plentiful flowers, with no idea how it had happened. Now, though, I know fate brought me to that spot, at that time, on that night. Someone, or something, was steering me in the direction that would lead me to what I knew I needed. It wasn't chance, and nor was it an accident. It was simply fate. _

_My eyes followed the moon's steady beam of glistening light, across leafy vines winding their way across the ground, over and around fruit trees and sunflowers, bushes and daisies, finally landing on a single, solid figure. _Stay sharp, _I had always been taught. Somehow, though, I knew this figure wasn't there to harm me. Quite the opposite; I was meant to find it. Taking a small step forward, I saw her hair whip through the air as a leaf crushed underfoot. The moon hit the auburn of her hair, sending it sparkling like nothing I'd ever seen before. Her eyes reflected the light (or did they just naturally shine like that?) and her tense features relaxed into relief. She took a tentative step toward me, and I couldn't help but smile. _

"_King Edmund," she spoke quietly, almost whispering, "I didn't expect you to be out this late. I hope I'm not intruding."_

_Inching toward her more still, I replied, "Not at all, my dear. But I must agree, I didn't expect to see you here either. Surely you have boarding here after such a long and perilous trip?"_

_She looked down for a moment, hesitating slightly. "To be honest, my lord, I hadn't expected to need to stay overnight. I was expecting to be turned away instantly, maybe even killed."_

"_Killed?" I repeated, the shock evident in my tone. "Why would anyone kill such a beautiful creature as you? Surely your King hasn't been spreading tales of Narnian Kings slaughtering their guests?"_

_Shaking her head, I could see the faint blush that had appeared on the apples of her cheeks, now so pale in the moonlight that she almost matched the light. "Of course not, King Edmund. But, if the situation had been reversed…"_

_I knew all too well what would have happened if the situation had been reversed, and if she'd been a Narnian citizen entering the court of Caloremen. "What if I could offer you something? What if I could offer you a better life than the one you lead in Caloremen? A better life for you, your brother, and your father?"_

_She stared at me for a moment, unable to comprehend what I was saying. Reaching out, my hand slipped over hers as I continued, "Come to Narnia. Stay here, where I'll protect you. I'll make sure nothing bad ever happens to you again, as long as you stay." I wasn't sure where the words were coming from, but without a doubt I knew that they were exactly what I wanted to say. My eyes searched hers, my heart racing, waiting impatiently on her answer. Just say something, anything!_

_Unexpectedly, tears began to form in those beautiful eyes, teetering on the threshold before spilling over onto her porcelain cheeks. I searched for something to say, but words finally failed me. "You couldn't begin to fathom how much I would like to, kind sir, but my family…I couldn't leave them behind. I came here to make sure we'd stay together, not to abandon them! But, if I could, I would like nothing more than to be a citizen of Narnia for the rest of my life…"_

"_I will retrieve your father and brother, and make sure they arrive in my country, safe and whole. Then, my love, your dreams will finally come true." Then, I did something that still surprises me to this day. Something came into my heart, struck courage and hope into it, and seconds later I was leaning forward, closer and closer to her, until my lips slowly and sweetly met hers. Time suspended itself in mid-air, as unwilling as I was for the moment to pass. After five blissful seconds that I will remember until my dying day, she pulled away and looked me in the eye. _

"_Would you like to know my name now, My King?" She whispered cheekily, the hint of a smirk playing across her soft, beautiful lips._

"_More than anything," I replied breathlessly._

"_Serena Van Dune."_

_Nodding, I repeated the name, loving the feel of it on my tongue, how it flowed freely, perfectly. "I promise you, Serena Van Dune, I will bring your family safely to Narnia, and so you will be able to stay for a lifetime." Her eyes, the way they pierced mine as I spoke, beckoned me for more. Leaning into her once more, my lips had almost found hers again when a voice rang out into the night, curious and sharp._

"_Edmund?"_


End file.
